Bridge.



a. B, STRAUSS. BRIDGE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 6, 1909.

1,111,872. Patented Sept 29, 1914. J

aosnrn B. srna uss, or-ciaiicieo, rLrimors.

, BRIDGE.

To all wkomLit-may concern.- 1

Be it known that I, Josnru B. STRAUSS, a

it citizen of the United States, residing at Chicagoyin. the county of Cook and State of Illinois. have invented a certa1n-new and useful Improvement in .l'h-1dges,'o't which thefollowing is a specification.

' This invention" relates to improvements in bridges, and has for its object to, provide a new and improved bridge of the lift bridge type. 1 t

The invention is illustrated in th'e accompanying drawings, wherein.-

Figure 1 is a view of one form of bridge embodying the invention; Fig. 2 is a. sectional view :through the counterweight and I bridge racks' and the guide therefor; Fig. 3

on line 66 ofFig. 1..

is a. view in part section showing the top of one of the bridge supports and the well intowhich' the racks project; Fig. 4 is a view showing'a modified construction; Fig.

5 is a diagrammatic view showing a con-' struction where the bridge span can be usedin connection with two roadways, one above the other; Fig. 6 is a. sectionalview taken Like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several figures. v

Referring now to the drawings, there is illustrated abridge span 1, adapted. to he lifted bodily and provided at each end with the supports or towers 2., 3. Connected with each end of the bridge span are the racks 4: which engage pinions Counterweights 6 arem'ounted so as to move along the towers -2 and 3, and are connected with racks 7 which is pivotally connected with the rack-Q I 1 7 are preferably guided so as to run freelywhich also engage pinions ,Thesezcounterweights-are, as it were, concentrated at the ends of said racks. The racks 4 are prefer, ably movably connected with the bridgespan so as to permit expansion and con-.

traction thereof, there being preferably two or more racksat each end of the bridge span.- As shown in- Fig. 1, the rack 4 is connected to the bridge span by a link 8 and with the bridge span. The racks 4 and up and down and-prevent binding; -One arrangement for this purpose is: shown in detail in Fig.- 2. In this construction the guide post or frame piece 9 is provided on each side with one or more projecting parts 10, carrying a series of rollers 11 and 12, there being laterally projecting parts 13 and supporting lateral movement.

I Specification of Letters 2mm} Pafe t d s t gs u L" a ucaaoa anuio eieoe.

Serial No. tosses...

which ;-carry the rollers 14 and 15. racks and37 are provided with-engaging side-pieces 16 which engage the rollers 14: and 15 and; being provided with. angular guiding and It will benoted-thatthe-guidingparts .on the frame piece pro ect into the racks,.as itwere, said racks being provided with. a recess 0! groove '18 for this purpose, "the rack inclosing the guiding and supporting -device such guidmgandsupporting device-and the inclosing rack. arranged so that the rack is freebto move longitudinal g lbut is fixed against in any desired (manner, but arelpreferably. formedin such away-as to be hollow, and assembled sothat. theguiding-device proects into the hollow ofthej-racks. {It will be understood, of course, that? there are preferably at least two racks atfeach end of the bridge and two sets ofguiding den vices, only one set being shown'in Fig'. 2. This eon structionis shown in Fig. 6, where the two racks 7 are illustrated, the counter- 30 weightcstending between them and being,

as it were, equallydistributed between them;- These towers forinframed structures for supporting. thev counterweight and extend 1l"rom truss to truss of the bridge spa-n,.there,

being provided transmitting members.com-. raising the racks which connect thespan and the counterweight. The main span supported upon the piers 19, said span being mounted thereong9 so thatit 1s free toexpand and contract under variations of temperature. As shown in Figs. '1 and 3 the piers are provided with supports 20 for the-bridge span.- The piers I are provided with openings or;wel ls 21 1:0: receivethe, racks 4=v and 7. It will be seen that the'ends of the racks 7 descend, into these wells as the bridge spanis lifted. The racks are shown in this positionin Fig'. '8; One of the pini'ons 5 fort he racks is 'shown.:1

'in dotted lines in Fig.2, alldjiq no'u mdm v I upon the frame piece 9. These pmiona-are operated in any desired manner, and as herei 1n. shown are operated by electric motors 22, 23, which areconnected webs, {unions-.105

by any suitable power transmitting means such as the shaft 5', Some means in provided for keeping the mainspanin asubstantially horizontal position, that .is, for

preventing one end from being movedup 1 pieces 1.7 which: engage rollers 11' 60 he-racks can; be formed 70 I fasterthan theothena. dis hereiii sho iivn able resistance 26 in circuit 'therewithcom trolled byflan-arm. 27.- .pi-iiotall connected f-withT the bridgeiff Asshown t e armsl25 and .27 are operated by gravity. It will be .seen that if the motor 22, for ex'a1'x 1p le,"op-v "I erates 'at a greater speed than the motor-"23 the main span will" be tilted sdthatthe,

arm 27 will 'move to cut resistance into the circuit of motor 22, and the arm. 25 will -'-then moveto cut resistance ou't of the circuit "of motor 23, thus tending to slowdown motor22 and speed up motor'23' and cause the bridge -to be'brought to .ahorizontal ,position. If motor 23 operates more rapidly, their motor 22-,- so as to liftthe right end of the bridge higher thanthe left. end, the

inclination produced will cause the arms" 25 and 27 to move in theo'pposite direction so as to auwmatically bring the bridge span that the bridge span is providedwith a controlling device located on the -span for con trolling the operating machinery to main-' tain a proper alinement of the span as it So rises and falls.

expand on account of variations in temperature. In this construction the tower. and

the main span are connected together through the medium ofthe rack and plnions 7 and both are free to expand.- Thecoun ter- 'weight may also be separated, a portion 40 placed. at each end of the racks. ."This-construction also permits the -ra"eks' t to; be

- braced by=the braces 29." l

InFig. 5there. is shown a construction where there may be provided two roadways of the track and let this position to beits normal position after .such elevation. I claim:

1. A lift bridge comprising two separated )iers a span extending: across the space tween'said piers and carrying a roadway I 1 andadapted to be lifted and lowered, a -counterweight located above'said-span, and

I, arm 25.jipivotally connected; i 'iwithth'e bri ge,- The moto'r'22 hasa varii;

to its proper position. Itwill thus be seen" As shown in Fig.4, the end the spanand tower are supported upon the @161, by means of rollers 28' so-as to befree to;

30 and 31,- one'above tlfe other, the top of the: main span acting as a part of the road-'- wazy 3 1, and the floor thereof actingasa part of the roadway 30,80 that trainson other vehicles maybe passed through the. 60 'towers-I-and-across the bridge aqdifierent rigid connecting pieces by means of which 7 the =-counterweight and span are movably' connected together; l l

.2, In a lift b ridge,.a span adapted to be lifted, counterweight for. said span, rigid connecting pieces by means of which the counterweights-andspan are connected together, a common support for the span and :counterweight, and an adjustable connection between the span and the'support permitting expansion. 5, j l.

3. j In alift bridge,- a span adapted to be lifted, counterweight.,.towers at-the ends, rigidconn'ectin ieces by means ,oi-whi ch, thecount'erweig ts andi'span are connected together, and a free connection between i the span and the towers to permit chan'gein ialinement -without 1 interferingwith. the a mcwement of the spam lifted, counterweight devices at, the "ends of" Mid-span, a link at one end of the span said link connected to .one of thcounter- "weightdevice s; 1 3 1- I y 5.11; a lift bridge, tw frames travelingin atower and operatively connect d to 'gether, a, counterweight. connectedzto, one {frame and abridgespan freely connectedto I the otherzfraijne soas'tobe capable of.movi ,ing independentlyjofthe framegjt x9 1 6,;In'I-a'1iftb' 'dge, two frames traveling 'inia-tower, apinion connectingthemjabout connected to one frame, and a bridgespan' to be capable ofmoving independently of 4 7.' In a lift bridge, a span adapted to-be lifted provided-with separated trusses one ateach side. thereof, a-counterweight therefor adapted to be lowered, a balancing connection between the two under compression from the counten-weighh the counterweight;

extendingacross the space;- between the trusses. 1

8, In ,a-lift'fbridge, a span adapted to he lifted, af'counterweightito balance the span,

a framed. structure supporting the 'counter-' weight and extending from truss to truss of fleeting the'slpan'a'nd the counterweight and means for-I istributin'g: the counterweight I equally on thetransmitting members.

9. A lift bridge comprising a vertically -moving span, 'a vertically, moving counter-F -weight therefonxracks connected-with the span and counterweight, a pinion connecting the two racks, a. sup orting pier upon whichthe pinion is carrl anda well with I I i said pier to receive'the racks asthey are lowered.

tower supported thereon; a counterweight, a bridge span, the said span and counter-- weight movably mounteduponthe tower so 13b 4; In it 1m bridge, a. spintiniest; be-

which t ya e il enoed, a'counterweight freely connected tolthe' 'other. frame so asi'oothemain spin; transmitting. members con "'1 '5 o. n-1infbrid e 5siprising ii ierygs,

' of .said span, pinions connecting the racks as 'to' be free to move in opposite directions, a rigid connection between the counterweight and span operatively connecting them together, and'a seat upon the pier for the bridge span.

11. A lift bridge comprising-two sepa-- rated piers, a vertically movings an extending across the space between sai piers and carrying a roadway and a rack at each end of sand span, a counterweight at each 'end of the counterweight with the racks of the span.

12. A bridge comprising a vertically moving span, a vertically moving counterwei ht, rigidconnection between them,- a gui ing 1 device therefor, the span and counterweight on opposite sides of said guiding device.

13. A bridge comprising a vertically moving span, a vertically moving counterweight, a central guide post, racks on opposite sides of said guide post, one connected to the counterweight and the other to the movin vice projecting into said racks, and a'connection between the two racks.

Signed at Chicago, Illinois, this 17th day i of June, A. -D. 1909. p

' JOSEPH 13; STRAUSS.

\Vitnesses:

A. F. BRUSS, V MINNIE'M'. LINDENAU. 

